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The Year in Nerd: 2018

2018 was among the greatest years in nerd history. We got a ton of movies, some all-time classic games, and a bunch of awesome events. 2019 is shaping up to be just as great, but before we get into the new year of nerdom, let’s take a look back at the year that was.

Top Nerd Movies of 2018

Marvel had an incredible year when it came to their feature films, and not just at the box office, either.. We saw three awesome Marvel movies come out this year: (Oscar nominee) Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and of course Avengers: Infinity War. The three films generated a combined $4 billion, with the latter generating over $2 billion on its own. “The Snap,” the climax of Infinity War, was a viral hit across social media. In fact, the official pro-Thanos subreddit, r/ThanosDidNothingWrong, even mimicked The Snap, banning 350,000 users from the subreddit and putting them into r/inthesoulstone, where their virtual souls will live (at least until we see what happens with Avengers: Endgame).

Not to be outdone, 2018 also two FOX Marvel movies: Deadpool 2 and Venom. Both made some serious cash at the box office, especially Venom, which made almost $650,000,000 overseas. On the animated front, Into The Spider-Verse, Sony’s sole contribution to the Marvel movie juggernaut, killed it at the box office, the critic’s scoresheets, and even picked up a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s two comic book movies nominated for Academy Awards. Still think they’re just kids movies?

Speaking of comic book movies, we only got one live-action DC Comics movie, but it might’ve been the best one yet (that being said, I’ll keep my personal feelings about Batman vs. Superman to myself.) Aquaman serves as a turning point of sorts for the DCEU - a movie that eschews most of the dark, depressing tones in favor for action-packed fun. The best kind of movies are those that help you lose track of time and Aquaman does just that.

But comic book fans weren’t the only group to receive a new movie this year - Star Wars fans had reason to celebrate. Solo: A Star Wars Story served as the origin story for the popular intergalactic traveler, Han Solo. Although it received mixed reviews from fans and critics, and the film didn’t make enough money to cover its budget, it serves as a teaser for fans eagerly anticipating the ninth installment of the series.

And hey, there were some other awesome movies that aren’t comic book or otherwise nerdy. If you’re a fan of cinema, go check out Blockers, Crazy Rich Asians, Mission Impossible: Fallout, A Star is Born, A Quiet Place, and Sorry to Bother You. They’re all vastly different genres, but they’re all incredible films in their own right.

The Best Games of 2018

One could make the argument that 2018’s games were even better than its movies (and the movies were really good.) Most gamers found themselves aligned with one of four games which rank among the very best from this year: God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man, and Monster Hunter: World. Regardless of which you love, there’s no denying just how great all four of these games are. All four offer just enough game for casual players to go through while feeling full, but have enough depth for those players who hunger for more - and it’s not just looking for little collectables or emblems, either. They have full-scale post-game missions to play, and in the case of Spider-Man, there’s even more offered when you grab the game’s three DLC packs.

The fun didn’t stop there! 2018 also gave us two fantastic fighting games: Dragon Ball FighterZ and Soul Calibur VI. One is obviously based off the popular anime series and the other is the sixth installment of the popular 3D weapon fighter. Whichever sort of fighter you prefer, there’s no denying these games are both stunning visually and tons of fun to play. While the FGC is still in the early stages of figuring out Soul Calibur VI, DBFZ is already anticipating its second season and a world esports series for 2019.

2018 was also the year of a certain battle royale shooter (that technically released in 2017, but it’s worth talking about.) We’re of course talking about Fortnite, the worldwide phenomenon that has generated over $1 billion in revenues. From middle-school students playing on mobile phones to top Twitch streamers playing on a state-of-the-art gaming PC, Fortnite has captured the attention of almost every gamer on Earth at least once (yes, even you. You know you’ve seen at least one Ninja clip that made you stop and watch. It’s okay to admit it, we’re all friends here.)

What’s To Come in 2019

2019 has a full deck of awesome games, movies, and events for gamers to attend! Here’s just a snippet of what we’re most excited to see this year: